Referring to the atmosphere at the first Conservative conference with the party holding a majority in the Commons since 1996, he said: “I know the press are expecting it’s going to just be an orgy of backslapping and self-congratulation…we’ll leave the orgy bit to the next Ashcroft book!”

The Blackwell’s shop had 73 copies of the book on display at lunchtime on Monday, alongside other titles focusing on the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill and Nigel Farage.